Promises are made constantly throughout one's life. This concept is often not realized, because it goes by a different name; trust. It means having certainty and confidence; reliable of the truthfulness of an individual. However, trust is almost never in a perpetual state; it fluctuates. As such, it begs the question; why must it fluctuate, and how does one trust another individual? In the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, this very concept plays a considerable role throughout the play. It follows a Christian merchant in the 1600s named Antonio who has made a deal with moneylender and Jewish man Shylock. Despite their (religious) hatred for each other, they make a deal. A personal deal in which Antonio is held to if not fulfilled. However, as the play progresses, various characters are introduced throughout the play; their interactions plentiful as their confidence in one another changes either for the better or for worse. The play “Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare has shown that trust can only be based on the decisions that they make.
    In order to even begin trusting an individual, one can only observe from their current decisions that play a role or relate to oneself. The play opens with a friend of Antonio--Bassanio--requesting a sum of money to appear to wealthy; to impress a wealthy woman she is attracted to who goes by the name of Portia. Bassanio says “Her fair hair is the Golden Fleece that attracts many Jasons to the Belmont shore. Oh, Antonio - I feel convinced I’d be successful if only I had the money to make myself a rival!” (1.1.170-176) Antonio, being the generous and trusting friend that he is to Bassanio, goes to a Jewish moneylender Shylock for a loan. However, as previously explained, the two despise each other. But Shylock sees something that he can get out of it. Out of all the mockery Antonio has for Shylock, he can bind him to the money that Antonio is asking Shylock for. Shylock knows of the fact that his money could potentially go down as his wealth is with merchant ships at sea (a potential risk). Thus, Shylock agrees to loan him money with the consequence of suffering immense physical pain if his money is not returned. And yet, with the situation at hand, Antonio still agrees to the bond. Bassanio and Antonio discuss; “You mustn’t sign such a bond for me. I’d rather manage without. / Oh don’t worry, man! I won’t forfeit it. Within two months - that’s a month before this bond expires - I’m expecting the return of nine times what the bond is worth.” (1.3.149-152) This very motion of generosity exhibits the amount of trust that Antonio and Bassanio share; the types of decisions in which Bassanio have presumably made in the past as well as the great friendship and loyalty they have for each other. Antonio’s reassurance proves this.
    Though, as trust builds, the level/degree of tasks that are inadvertently required to further prove it grow larger. As the play progresses, Bassanio is able to be with and impress his love Portia, even though it may seem like a very short amount of time has passed for them to simply just be engaged right off the spot. No trust has really been tested quite yet. This, though will very soon change, as Antonio sends a message to Bassanio that all of his ships did not survive and will be facing in court against Shylock. Portia sees an opening as Portia and Bassanio discuss; “How much does he owe the Jew? / On my behalf, three thousand ducats. / No more? Pay him six thousand, and reclaim the bond. Twice six thousand. Three times that. No friend of that description shall lose a hair of his head through the fault of Bassanio.” Both loyalty and trust is definitely something that is shown here. Portia is already using this opportunity to be of great assistance to Bassanio, who is essentially giving back to the friend who gave him so much. Even though Antonio is “accepting” of his fate against Shylock, Bassanio knows how indebted he is to his friend. Things all follow for the better, though; Bassanio is able to defend his beloved friend in court alongside a lawyer. However, what he doesn’t know is Portia’s involvement. She disguises as a lawyer in this court and ensures that Antonio doesn’t suffer anything Shylock has planned. As a way to test Bassanio’s loyalty to her and how trusting she should be of him, she requests his marriage ring as a “fee” in a way. Things are being put to the test. His answer to the test was a mixed one; “This ring has more importance than its value. I’ll give you the most expensive ring in Venice and advertise for it. With respect, you must pardon me on this one.” (4.1.430-433) The audience can see a lot of hesitance coming out from Bassanio here. He risks a lot of his credibility through giving up this ring. The thing is, though; he does. The result of this exchange when Bassanio returns to Portia alongside his friends, though, is a bit more on the comical side. It appears as if Portia is briefly angry at Bassanio, but soon forgives him; like a “second chance” in some aspects. However, this decision of Bassanio and his poor choice to discredit his loyalty could have easily swayed in a different direction.
    So, trust is not one that can so easily be earned at times. Whether it’d be between Portia and Bassanio’s young relationship or Antonio and Bassanio’s long-time friendship, the trust in them were born out of one thing that they both make and what Shakespeare repeats throughout the story. The fact that trust is based solely on decisions that the individuals make. Making negatively impacting choices will obviously damage choices sometimes to a greater extent than Bassanio and Portia, or yield positive and greater trust and dedication similar to Bassanio and Antonio.

1. What is the setting of the story? What are people like, the culture, etc.?
1. The setting of the story is in Venice (obviously), but the first two scenes take place in a more noble/rich area of Venice as the characters that are first introduced appear to be rich.
2. We meet Antonio in the first scene, who exactly is he and what is his worries that he faces early on?
1. Antonio is a sad man whose sadness is owed to an unknown thing. Technically, he is someone who has money and has loaned them to certain people such as Bassanio. From a technical point of view, Antonio worries about the money that he invested as a merchant. If that money is not returned, he will lose a lot of money. From a figurative perspective, he worries about what is making him feel sad.
3. We also meet Bassanio a friend of Antonio, what does he ask of Antonio? Explain.
1. Bassanio asks of Antonio for a loan; money. Bassanio wants to appear rich for Portia.
4. Portia worries about finding a husband, so what does she decide to do that she thinks will be best solution to her problem? Explain.
1. Portia thinks that Bassanio is the best solution to solving the problem of finding a husband because he is the man that she desires and vice-versa. They both like the attributes each other possess.

1. Revisiting the Portia situation, why is the choosing of a man suitable for her out of her hands?
1. His father’s dead will was for Portia to choose a man suitable for her but only from a select group of candidates. Bassanio, the man she desires, is not within this pool.
2. Who is Shylock? What is his importance in the story thus far?
1. Shylock appears to be a wealthy businessman who lends money and profits from loaning said money through interest. It’s quite important so far in the story to Bassanio in particular because of the fact that he is in need of three thousand gold coins over the course of three months. It gets Antonio involved too, because he is essentially the “insurance” to Bassanio’s lavish request.
3. What is the agreement Shylock and Antonio come to terms with?
1. Shylock and Antonio came to agree upon Shylock lending Antonio three thousand gold coins whose amount will be paid back within three months time.
4. Why is Shylock so hesitant of this agreement with Antonio?
1. Shylock is hesitant to agree with Antonio because of Antonio’s current state. Being a merchant, he has various ships at sea and as such, they all can be subjected to the dangers of the world; pirates looting their ship, nature’s tyranny through storms, etc. But what also appears to be a very major divide between the two is religion. Antonio is Christian, while Shylock is Hebrew/Jewish.
5. Would you trust Antonio? Why or why not.
1. Despite Antonio’s best intentions, I do not like the risk in which he is taking. If this wealth is at risk or being lost, that’s just bad decision-making; putting all eggs into one basket. Sure, it can bring back a substantial amount of wealth back, but I feel the risk is too great. In addition to this, Antonio despises Jews such as Shylock through mockery and disrespect, and although it doesn’t relate to trust very much, I wouldn’t prefer to be affiliated with individuals that condone such hatred.

Don’t rely on outward appearances when making judgments.
AGREE: This statement is very similar to concept of not judging on the outside and instead on the inside. Personally, I have met various people in my life that, upon first visual glance, one can easily make certain negative assumptions. However, those various people of course don’t reflect those negative assumptions once I learned about who they are, their morals, etc.

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Justice is always blind.
DISAGREE: It’s difficult to find total justice in everything that there is. But I don’t believe it is blind; the true form of justice is to satisfy all parties involved in a fair way. Personally, I’ve had many arguments with my brother, though my parents understand that justice is not to side with me every time, but rather to find a solution that will equally satisfy all parties. It isn’t justice that can sometimes be blind; it is the skewed image that an individual may have of what justice is.

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A brotherly love between two friends can be just as strong as an intimate love between a man and a woman.
AGREE: Brotherly love and love between a man and a woman are two different things, but it is love nonetheless. I like to think of this as a comparison/metaphor to how someone makes a movie. Actors play their roles, cinematographers make sure the picture is of quality, and directors direct. They all serve different purposes but are working towards making a movie. See; love between a man and a woman and love between brothers can be same in terms of strength; it is just that they take different forms. Personally, I have a step-brother who I love very much and am happy to be an older sibling of. However, love for a woman is still the same level as what I’d have for the various individuals in my family.

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You can break a promise as long as you have a good excuse
AGREE: I prefer to live on reason. Any promise can be broken with a good excuse, but it is supposed to be a very good excuse that is proportionate to the promise broken. I wouldn’t claim that I was unable to come to dinner by using an excuse like “I feel tired, sorry”. A legitimate excuse would be something such as “A family member is in the hospital” or “I’ve suffered an injury”. I’m not saying that promises should always be broken, but should they need to, they can be if a legitimate excuse is given. Personally, I make very few promises, but I have seen certain family members break a few. For example, my grandmother has a lot of sisters and brothers. When one of her sisters (name is Patti) passed, they would of course leave money for their children to inherit. It was divided quite equally, though, greed had sometimes overcome that. At least, that’s what I thought at first. My grandmother was the only person to take care of the costs of the entire funeral, so her excuse to take extra in order to cover those charges is justified; it is a good excuse.

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Love is blind.
AGREE: Some of the things that people do out of love for another individual can often be extravagant in most cases. People would spend thousands upon thousands of dollars for weddings or diamond rings. In other cases it could be violent. People would sometimes kill in the name of their significant other. Love is a powerful thing, as it blurs everything that happens in the background and puts a single individual in focus. Personally, I have blindly followed love in the slightest sense; buying certain things for the other individual for their birthday, spending time to write a card on Valentine’s day; very small things, yet it is still money and time spent just because of love.

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Stereotypes are often right.
AGREE: The reason why stereotypes put in place and adapted by so many in the first place is because that is the image that a group of people or individual shows. Again, they are often right; which means that there can be times wherein the stereotype is not inherent of a group. To say that white people can’t dance, or asians are good at math, or only blacks can dance is stereotyping, yes, but is it incorrect? In some cases, yes. Some stereotypes are exhausted. Outdated. Yet when they aren’t exhausted and aren’t outdated, they are temporarily true; that’s why stereotypes are born in the first place. A predictive factor. A widely generalized image of a certain group. So I do agree that they are often right, though I don’t believe for a large majority of them to be right forever. As a personal experience, throughout life I generalized that Asians always have strict parents. A lot of the time with every Asian-American family I’ve met, the parents are strict on things ranging from minimum grade in school to the expectations they have for their future child’s future careers. See; people stereotype groups of people to be a certain thing or have a certain attribute based on groups similar to them. It’s certainly not a good thing to do, but a lot of the time they are right. Stereotypes are “empirical generalizations”.

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An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is a good motto to live by.
DISAGREE: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is an extremely barbaric and skewed vision of justice. It is not an appropriate motto to live by because it is also dangerous. It can cause people to spiral down an endless path, if both parties keep exchanging an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. This motto knows no concept of forgiveness. During my elementary school days, grudges are what I feel was a constraint to certain friendships, if my friends were to do something to me in which I did not like. It would just be a constant build up of “well you took this so I get to take that” exchanges.

    Slim as a character in John Steinbeck's’ “Of Mice and Men” is one whose words are the law, for he is a man of assertiveness in the story, yet still retaining a collective and rational mentality with the individuals he works with. His rationalism is shown upon the introduction of him to the readers, as Steinbeck writes; “His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.” He is open to George and Lennie’s story about traveling and how George confessed to having messed around with Lennie’s mental retardation, but also “real”; he speaks his thoughts in respectful manner. Yet, he still retains assertiveness through characters like the aggressive Curley; ensuring that readers know he seems to base his interactions with others off of “treat unto others the way one seeks to be treated”. This is very much exemplified when Slim tells Curley “I’m gettin’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me.” (note that this is when Curley confronts Slim regarding the whereabouts of his wife and prior to when Curley starts attacking Lennie). Though he maintains a calm demeanor in his regular state, he is more than willing to make sure that one should not be “fooled” by it; certainly something he made clear in that near-hostile interaction. He is consistent in being a reasonable individual in the book.
    Such reasonability is further shown during Slim’s interaction with Lennie and George’s story prior to them coming to the ranch. Proceeding George’s explanation as to why they left Weed and arrived near the Soledad River, Slim says “He ain't mean, I can tell a mean guy a mile off.” He understands that Lennie’s mental state has somewhat affected him. Paired with his strength, he can see how Lennie is not the kind of individual that would deliberately do such actions. Slim also states “He’s a nice fella, guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella.” His sincerity is clear and genuine towards George as they discussed Lennie. Slim’s character; it’s a type that many people in the ranch admire, and, in Curley’s case, may become jealous of.